Feed mechanism for automatic wire-tying machine



Sept. 4, 1962 J. J. LINEHAN ETAL 3,

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Fil ed April 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS JOHN J L/NEHA/V and HAROLD G. TETE/VS Attorney Sept. 4, 1962 J. J. LINEHAN. ETAL 3,052,394

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Els E m w sag k6? m 10 INVENTORS JOHN J. Ll/VEHA/V and HAROLD 6. TETE/V-S' 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 4, 1962 J. J. LINEHAN ETAL FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1960 INVENTORS JOHN J. L/IVEHA/V and HAROLD 6. TETE/VS wal/ M )8 Attorney 3 8 0 6 4 M 4 4 5 a ,i I K WWH T A 4 2 5 i x 6 H m n k m w n .H mm m E 1 L I! v mmfl t 1 0 3 Sept. 4, 1962 J. J. LINEHAN ETAL 3,052,394

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 //v ysrvroks JOHN NEH/I N an HA ROL r5 new Attorney P 4, 11962 .1. J. LINEHAN ETAL 3,052,394

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS JOHN J. LIA/[HAN and HAROLD GQTE'TENS Attorney Sept. 4, 1962 J. J. LINEHAN ETAL 3,052,394

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WIRE-TYING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS JOHN J. Ll/VEHAN and HAROLD 6. TETEWS 3,052,394 FEED MEtZl-IANISM FUR AUTGMATFC WlRE-TYING MACHINE .lohn J. Linehan, Flossmoor, and Harold G. Tetens, (lountry Club Hills, Ill, assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 4, 19%, Ser. No. 19,737 Claims. (Cl. 22619ll) The present invention relates generally to automatic machines for applying a wire tie to a bundle or package, tightening it therearound and securing the lapped ends of the wire by a twist or knot. An example of such a machine is disclosed by Brouse et a1. Patent No. 2,912,- 099. In the operation of this type of wire-tying or strapping machine the supply wire, from which wire a tie is to be made, is fed around a guide track in the form of a loop with the ends of the wire overlapped in the slot of a knotter pinion. Then when strapping is to be applied to a bundle, the bundle is placed within the track and the wire is retracted to draw it tight around the bundle. The overlapped ends of the tie are then twisted together by the knotter pinion and the tie is out free from the supply wire and ejected vfrom the pinion.

The improvements claimed herein relate to means for feeding the wire around the guide track and subsequently pulling it from the guide track into engagement with the bundle or package. The novel features of the wirefeed mechanism of our invention, as herein described and claimed, may be employed in any known automatic wiretying or strapping machine of the same general type as the above-mentioned Brouse et al. machine. Details of parts other than the wire-feed mechanism and associated elements are not included herein.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of our invention to provide an improved wire-feed mechanism adapted to be installed in an automatic wire-tying machine for initially feeding tie wire into the machine and then subsequent ly retracting the wire to draw it taut around a bundle or package.

It is another object of the invention to provide a wirefeed mechanism which includes a driven wire-impelling drum and housing assembly having guide rollers associated therewith for impelling and tensioning the wire.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing the general arrangement of the principal elements of an automatic wire-tying machine having the feed mechanism of the invention incorporated therein;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational View of the feed mechanism of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the feed mechanism looking at the left end of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the plane of line IVIV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line VV of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 i a horizontal sectional view taken along the plane of line VI-VI of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line VII-VII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along of line VIII-VIII of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged detail partial view showing the bottom portion of the drum and housing shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line X-X of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged detail partial view of the lower transom of the guide track shown in FIGURE 1;

the plane Fatenterl Sept. 4, I962 FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line XII-XII of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line XIII-XIII of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 14 is a plan view taken along the plane of line XIVXIV of FIGURE 11; and

FIGURE 15 is a schematic illustration of the drum and pressure rollers of the feed mechanism of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE .1, reference numeral 2 designates a base of an automatic wire-tying machine having a raised platform 4 at one end and an upright support frame 6 adjacent the platform. A wire-feed mechanism 8 is mounted on the platform 4 and a knot-ter mechanism it) is mounted on the support 6. An upright guide track 12 is mounted on the support frame 6 by means of bolts 14. An escapement '16 is mounted by one end on the feed mechanism 8 and extends therefrom adjacent the upper portion of the track 12 with which it is connected by means of spaced braces 18.

A brief description of the cycle of operation of the automatic wire-tying machine illustrated is interposed at this point to aid in an understanding of the detailed de scription of the wire-feed mechanism of the invention which follows.

Prior to initiation of a tying cycle, the leading end of a tie wire W (FIGURES l and 2) is fed into the machine by the wire-feed mechanism 8 from a supply coil or other source (not shown). As the wire is fed in, the leading end thereof is pushed from left to right, as viewed in FIGURE 1, around the guide track 12 and into the knotter mechanism 10 where the leading end of the wire is seized by a gripper 72. The machine is then in condition to perform a. tying cycle to apply a wire tie around a bundle or package.

After the Wire W has been thus laid in the track, a package P to be strapped is placed within the track 12 and the wire W is retracted to strip it out of the track and draw it tightly around the package P by reverse action of the wire-feed mechanism 8. The knotter .10 is then brou ht into operation to engage the overlapped portions of the wire W and form the knot of the tie, cut it and release it. The strapped package is then moved out of the machine and more wire is pushed around the guide track by the wire-feed mechanism 8 preparatory to the next strapping cycle. j

Considering now the details of the machine, the wire feed mechanism 3 includes a drum housing 22 having a drum 24 journaled therein. The housing 22 is formed with a generally helical groove 26 on its inner surface which fits snugly about the periphery of the drum 24. The drum is keyed on and rotatable by a drive shaft 28 which is connected with the power shaft of a reversible hydraulic motor 30 by means of a coupling 32.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, a guide housing, designated generally by reference numeral 34, is mounted on the drum housing 22 by means of a bracket 36 which is attached to and projects upwardly from the housing 22. The guide housing 34 is generally L-shaped and extends peripherally around approximately a quadrant of a guide roll or sheave 4i) journaled on bracket 36. The guide housing includes a horizontal entry groove 38 tangential of the roll 46. A vertical exit groove 42 is formed in the housing 34, also tangential to the roll 40. A tube 43 is connected to the guide housing 34 with one end aligned with the end of the exit groove 42 and extends therefrom to a connection by its other end with the drum housing 22 in communication with the entrance end of the helical groove 26. A cover plate 44 is hinged to the guide housing 34 on hinges 44a and normally covers the grooves 3t; and $2 and the periphery of the guide roll 40 therebetween. The hinged mounting of cover 44 facilitates initial threading of the tie wire through the apparatus of the invention as will be more fully explained hereinafter. As shown in FIGURE 4, the groove 38 opens upwardly into the interior of the escapement 16 so as to permit the wire W to loop upwardly therein while it is being retracted.

A pressure roller 46 (FIGURES 2 and 4) is rotatably journaled in a bifurcated arm 48 which is pivoted by one end to a lug projecting from the drum housing 22 and is spring loaded at its opposite end by a compression spring 50. Spring 50 is mounted on a pin 51 which projects from the housing 22 and extends through the end of bifurcated arm 48. Housing 22 has an opening 52 in one side thereof to accommodate a portion of the periphery of roller 46. The opening 52 is in line with the portion of the groove 26 adjacent to the tube '43. The groove 26 on either side of opening 52 is substantially straight, as best shown in FIGURE 5, in order to insure positive contact between the Wire W, the drum 24 and the roller 46 so as to properly direct the wire around the drum and minimize the effect of side-thrust between the wire W and the groove 26 caused by the pitch of the helix formed by the remainder of the groove.

A second pressure roller 54 is journaled in a bifurcated arm 56 which is pivoted by one end to a lug projecting from the drum housing 22 at a point remote from the roller 46. Like arm 48, arm 56 is spring loaded at its free end by means of a compression spring 58 which constantly urges the roller 54 toward the drum 24 through an opening 60 in the housing 22. As in the case of the opening 52, the opening 60 is aligned with the groove 26 and the portions of the latter on either side of the opening 60 are substantially straight so as to minimize side-thrust as described above.

A guide tube 62 (FIGURES 2, 6 and 8) extends between the housing 22 and the guide track 12. The tube 62 is formed with spherical ends which seat in corresponding spherical sockets 68 and 70, formed in the housing 22 and guide track 12, respectively. The spherical ends on the tube 62 and the correspondingly shaped sockets in the housing 22 and the guide track 12 insure positive alignment of the tube 62 between the housing and guide track without the necessity of precise machining of the parts.

The escapement 16, which is not claimed as part of our invention, is described in detail in co-pending application Serial No. 832,961, filed August 11, 1959. The function of the escapement is to receive temporarily the surplus length of wire when it is retracted and drawn around the package. The escapement 16 includes a series of aligned spring tongues 76 adapted to engage the passive upper run of a loop of wire received in the escapement during operation of the apparatus, thus preventing it from sagging excessively and becoming entangled with the lower run of the wire loop, yet permitting the looped wire to be freely withdrawn for the next feeding of the Wire around the track.

In operation of the wire-feed mechanism of our invention the cover plate 44 is opened to uncover grooves 38 and 42 and the periphery of roll 40. Wire W from a wire source (not shown) such as a reel, drum, coil, etc., is threaded into the groove 38, around the grooved periphery of the guide roll 40, and into the groove 42. The leading end of the Wire W is then fed through the tube 43 into the groove 26 of the housing 22 and under the roller 46. Motor 30 is then operated to cause rotation of the drum 24 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 4. Clockwise rotation of the drum 24 causes the wire W to be driven along the helical groove 26, under the roller 54, into the tube 62, and around the guide track 12.

The bottom portion of the guide track 12 is formed with two parallel grooves to accommodate the lapped portions of wire W. For purposes of clarity the portion of the tie Wire W which passes through the bottom of the guide track 12 a second time will be designated W while the portion of the wire which passes through the bottom of the guide track only the first time will be designated W The grooves in the bottom of the guide track through which the wire portions W and W pass are designated 78 and 80, respectively. As the leading end of the wire leaves the groove 80 it enters the gripper 72 of the knotter 10 (FIGURES 11 and 14). When the wire enters the gripper 72 it trips a switch 82 which causes the motor 30 to stop and the gripper 72 to seize the leading end of the wire. The machine is now ready to begin a cycle to apply strapping around a package P positioned on a platform F disposed adjacent the guide track.

To begin the strapping cycle a switch (not shown) is closed, either manually or by movement of the package P into tying position in the guide track, to start the motor 30 to rotate the drum 24 in counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 4. This causes the wire W to be retracted, stripped out of the guide track 12, drawn tightly around the package P, and the motor 30 to be stalled. Upon retraction, the excess wire pulled from the guide track enters the escapement 16 and is engaged by the spring tongues '76. As the wire W is stripped from the bottom of the guide track it trips a track switch 86 having an actuating lever disposed in the path of the wire. Tripping of the switch 86 causes the knotter 10 to function and form the knot of the tie, cut it and release it toward the package P.

At the start of the knotting operation, motor 30' is stalled by Wire tension as explained above. During the knotting operation, the knotter 10 causes a switch (not shown) to relieve fluid pressure to motor 30. Upon completion of the knotter operation and release of the tie, another switch (not shown) causes the motor 30 to rotate the drum 24 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 4, and to feed wire into the machine. When the leading end of Wire reaches the gripper 72 as described hereinbefore, the switch 82 is closed stopping motor 30 and causing the gripper to seize the end of wire W The machine is now ready to perform the next strapping cycle.

During operation of the wire-feed mechanism 8 in feeding wire into or retracting it from the machine, the wire is actuated by a positive frictional contact between the wire and the drum 24. During clockwise rotation of drum 24, as viewed in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, roller 54 performs this function and during counterclockwise rotation of drum 24, as viewed in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, roller 46 performs the function. FIGURE 15 illustrates diagrammatically the cooperating functioning of the drum 24 and the rollers 46 and 54.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a wire-tying machine, a reversible driven frictional wire-driving drum for feeding wire to and retracting wire from said machine, said drum having a substantially smooth peripheral surface, first guide means directing wire tangentially onto said drum, second guide means directing wire from said drum into said machine, a fixed housing fitting snugly about said drum and having a helical wire-accommodating groove on the interior thereof, the ends of said groove being in line with said two guide means, respectively, said housing having a first aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said first guide means and a second aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said second guide means, a first freely rotatable pressure roller fitting in said second aperture and cooperating with said drum to feed wire into said machine when said drum is driven in one direction, a second freely rotatable pressure roller fitting in said first aperture and cooperating with said drum to retract wire from said machine when said drum is driven in the opposite direction, an escapement above said drum, and a guide sheave between said drum and said escapement journaled for rotation on an axis parallel to that of said drum.

2. In a wire-tying machine, a reversible driven frictional Wire-driving drum for feeding Wire to and retracting wire from said machine, said drum having a substantially smooth peripheral surface, first guide means directing wire tangentially onto said drum, second guide means directing wire from said drum into said machine, a fixed housing fitting snugly about said drum and having a helical Wire-accommodating groove on the interior thereof, the ends of said groove being in line with said two guide means, respectively, said housing having a first aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said first guide means and a second aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said second guide means, a first freely rotatable pressure roller fitting in said second aperture and cooperating with said drum to feed wire into said machine when said drum is driven in one direction, a second freely rotatahly pressure roller fitting in said first aperture and cooperating with said drum to retract wire from said machine when said drum is driven in the opposite direction, a guide sheave journaled above said drum on an axis parallel to that of said drum, and horizontal entry guide means tangential to the top of said sheave.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 including a hinged cover overlying a portion of the periphery of said sheave.

4; In a wire-tying machine, a reversible driven frictional Wire-driving drum for feeding wire to and retracting wire from said machine, said drum having a smooth peripheral surface, first guide means adjacent one end of said drum directing wire tangentially onto said drum, a

second guide means adjacent the opposite end of said drum directing wire from said drum into said machine, a fixed housing fitting snugly about said drum and having a generally helical wire-accommodating groove on the interior thereof, the ends of said groove being in line with said two guide means, respectively, said housing having a first aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said first guide means and a second aperture therethrough adjacent to and aligned with said second guide means, a first freely rotatable pressure roller fitting in said second aperture and cooperating with said drum to feed wire into said machine when said drum is driven in one direction, and a second freely rotatable pressure roller fitting in said first aperture and cooperating with said drum t retract wire from said machine When said drum is driven in the opposite direction.

5. Apparatus as defined by claim 4 in which the portions of said Wire accommodating groove immediately adjacent to and aligned with each of said apertures are substantially straight and free of helical pitch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,416,859 Vining et al. Mar. 4, 1947 2,506,942 Seeburg May 9, 1950 2,700,542 Geyer Jan. 25, 1955 2,726,755 Moser Dec. 13, 1955 2,912,099 Brouse et al. Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,161 Italy Feb. 6.. 1956 

